Hi everyone! Just like to ask a few questions. Btw im a proud new owner of a Canon 400D =). Anyways i really like macro photography, especially those dew drop shots in flowers and they appear so crisp and clear. My question is this, my only lens now is the one that came with the standard kit (18-55mm) which is not really made for macro photography. Is there a work around where I can shoot macro without buying expensive macro lenses? I read some an article in wikipedia where you use different methods like lens reversal, placing an auxiliary close-up lens and extension tubes etc. Can anybody suggest the best way to shoot macro without a dedicated macro lens? And a follow up question, if i am to buy a lens for macro what is the best macro lens that is not very expensive? Is there an all around lens where you can shoot decent wide angle, zoom and macro images.

Hi Auchron, if your willing to splurge on a dedicated macro lens for your 400D, the Canon EF-S 60mm is a superb choice!

But a great budget option is to get a set of extension tubes. These fit between your lens and camera body and allow you to do some neat macro work.

I'd go for cheaper third party tubes as there's no glass in them so no optical quality to worry about - so long as all the electronic contacts for Canon's AF system are there. In the UK, Jessops sells some tubes in various fits which are relative bargains...

Other way to go is an additional close-up lens, which can be screwed to the front of your lens. Canon makes one the best close-up lenses (achromatic) and the benefit is that
1. all functions of your lens still work (except for focussing to infinity )
2. you don't have to dismount your (primary) lens, so less risk of dust.
The lens is called 500D and has to match the your front screw thread

have you guys tried lens reversal technique? Trying to find the best way to do decent macro with at least 1:1 magnificationfor my extra budget of less than $100. haha is that possible? Sorry guys if i ask a lot of questions, im really a beginner here. =) Hope you can bear with me haha.

1:1 is not possible with the D500 close-up lens.
With extension tubes it is possible, but no guaranty how bad your IQ will turn out.
As a rule of thum, for 1:1 you need extension-tubes as long as the focal-length is of your lens. So you could do it with a 20mm extender. For 5:1 you would need around 100mm extender!
5xmagnification with decent IQ can only be done through lens reversal, but you need a special adapter. Don't know how much that is!
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If you shoot with extenders you need to stop down the lens quite a bit te get an acceptable IQ, say f11, plus you lose 1 stop for 1:1 so your effectively shooting at f16. Taht has two consequences in comparison to a f2.8 dedicated macro lens:
1. You always have a dof that is much deeper than with a f2.8 lens 2. small subjects that move (e.g. through wind) will be very hard to capture as your shutter speeds have to be comparably slow --------------
If you do lens-reversal IQ will be equally bad from say 1:1 up to 5x magnification, as the lens is normally not corrected for the range 1:5-1:1.
So even in this case it's wisest to pick up a macro lens that is good for 1:1. Than you get sharp results when reversing it. Try to find a used fixed focus 1:1 marco lens if you're really into the world of the smallest things and have limited budget